Tuesday’s Campaign Round-Up, 8.26.14

Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that won’t necessarily generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers:

* It’s Primary Day in Arizona, Florida, and Vermont, in addition to Oklahoma, which is hosting primary runoffs today. None of the races have a national profile, though as Rachel noted on the show last night, the Republican primary in Arizona’s 1st congressional district features an interesting cast of characters.

* The Republican Governors Association appears increasingly concerned about Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback’s (R) re-election effort, as evidenced by the new RGA attack ad targeting Paul Davis (D). The commercial accuses the Democratic candidate of supporting higher taxes. (Kansas’ state finances have been a disaster in recent years thanks to Brownback’s tax cuts.)

* In Massachusetts, a new Suffolk University/Boston Herald poll shows a closer-than-expected Democratic gubernatorial primary, with Martha Coakley’s lead over Steve Grossman slipping to 12 points, 42% to 30%. Most recent polling has shown Coakley with a much larger advantage.

* In North Carolina’s U.S. Senate race, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce invested heavily to help Thom Tillis win a Republican primary, but Tillis has nevertheless announced his opposition to the Export-Import Bank – a top Chamber priority.

* In Georgia, Senate hopeful David Perdue (R) reflected yesterday on his state’s 7.8% unemployment rate, far higher than the national average. “I agree with whoever said … don’t worry about that unemployment number,” Perdue said. The Senate hopeful used to say the opposite when going after President Obama.

* In Iowa’s U.S. Senate race, Joni Ernst (R) has endorsed eliminating the federal Direct Loan program for college students. It’s the basis for a new offensive launched by Rep. Bruce Braley (D), Ernst’s Democratic opponent.

* In Virginia’s U.S. Senate race, the NRA is throwing support to Ed Gillespie (R), whose campaign against incumbent Sen. Mark Warner (D) has struggled. No one’s sure whether the NRA’s backing will help Gillespie or hurt him.

* And msnbc’s Benjy Sarlin has a very interesting piece today, noting that some Democratic officials aren’t just looking beyond the 2014 cycle, they’re focusing specifically on the 2020 cycle. “That’s the year voters will elect state lawmakers who will redraw congressional and state legislative districts all over the country,” Sarlin noted.